Catching and delivering apparatus.



PATBNTED PBB.10, 190s.

No. 720,053. l

' T. H. PATENALL.

GATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS'.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 18, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No MODEL.

mvENToR .im /i M THE NRRIS PETERS Cov, PHOTOJJTHD WASHINGTON, D- C No.720,058. PATENTED FEB. l0, 1903.

A T. H. PATENALL.

GATGHING AND DELIVBRING APPARATUS.

, APPLIGATION FILED APR. 1s, woz. No MODEL. 2 sHEBTs-sHBET z.

" WITNESSES INVENTOR v 4 M j M f a7 im 7:. @QM

TH: Nonms Perses co. PNoYmHo., wAsHlNruN, n. c.'

NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. PATENALL, OF "WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIONSWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

lSPEGIFICA'JI'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,058, datedFebruary 10, 1903.

Application letl April 18. 1902. Serial No. 103,537. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: ered by a moving train without loss of timeBeit known that I, THOMAS H. PATENALL, and in a manner that shall insurereliability of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny of action inservice.

and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a It consists in providing uponthe engine- 5 new and useful Train-Sta Catching and Detank or some othersuitable point catching 55 livering Apparatus, placed upon a locomoanddelivering arms, operated by suitable tive or running train and used inconnection mechanism, so that they may readily be with ahigh-speed-train staff system for the moved into ,operative position orbe withsafe operation of single-track railroads, the drawn from saidposition when not in use. v

Io following being a full, clear, and exact de- It further consists indevices for holding 6o scription, reference being had to the accomthering, pouch, and staff in proper position panylng drawings, in Whichfordelivery by the moving train and other Figure l is a side elevationshowing my mechanism arranged to engage the ring, improved catcher anddeliverer in position pouch,and staff heid by the crane at the side t 5to receive and delivera ring, pouch, and staff of the track, andautomatic means whereby 65 to a suitable crane having catching andderecoil of the ring, pouch, and staff is checked livery arms. Fig. 2 isa detail side elevation and its retention is assured. of the deliveringapparatus which I employ; My invention further consists in certain andFig. 3 is a top plan View of the parts on features of construction andcombination of zo a larger scale than shown in Fig. 1. parts, as will bemore fully hereinafter de- 7o Myinvention relates to apparatus forcatchscribed, and `pointed out in the claims. ing a ring, pouch, andstaff from a staff-crane In the drawings, 2 represents a standard or andthe delivery of the same to said crane, framework secured, preferably,to the tank of and is designed to he used in connection with alocomotive, which is provided with lugs 3 z5 a high-speed-train staffsystem for the safe and 4, to which are pivoted arms 5 and 6, the 75operation of single-track railroads, and is deupper arm 5 being the onewhich catches the scribed in my copending application filed ring, pouch,and stalii, and the lower arm 6is April 7,1902, Serial No.10l,7l6,thssystem beemployed to deliver it to the staff-crane 7 or ing thatinwhichastaffis removed from a lockother device arranged to receive it. Thearms 3o ing instrument and is given to the engineer, 5 and 6 are mountedon rock-shafts 8 9, which 8o and so long as it is out of the instrumentanare provided with crank-arms 10 and 11, and other staff cannot betaken out of the instruthese arms are connected by rod or link 12. mentto give authority to another train to Upon the lower shaft 8 is securedanother occupy that section of track. This system crank-arm 13,connected by a rod or link 14C 35 is also one in which apparatus is usedwhich to a crank-arm 15 on the rock-shaft 16, which 85 enables the staffto be delivered to the engi is mounted in a bearing 17, secured to theneer, in a staff-holding ring and pouch, which standard 2. A hand-lever18 is also secured is made the subject of my copeuding applito therock-shaft 16 and is operated to change cation, Serial No. 103,536, ledApril 18, 1902, the position oi the arms 5 and 6 from hori- 4o and in acrane-holder located at block-stazontal to an elevated position. The arm5 is 9c tions for the purpose of holding the ring, constituted of twomembers 19 and 20, conpouch, and sta, so as to deliver it to a movnectedby suitable braces 2l, the member 19 ing train, and a catching-arm uponthe crane having its end 22 bent at right angles to the to receive thering, pouch, and staff from a arm and shaped to engage the ring, pouch,

45 moving train. This device is made the suband staff A, held b v thestaif-crane 7, when 95 ject of my copending application, Serial No. thearm 5 is in its horizontal position. An 103,538, led April 18, 1902.extension 23 of the arm 5 is provided with an The object of my presentinvention is to angled lever 24, pivoted at 25 to the extenprovideeffective means by which the ring, sion 23, and one arm of said lever isheld in 5o pouch, and staff may be received and delivits normal positionby knife-springs 26. The rco other arm of this lever 24 closes theopening between the end 22 and the extension 23 of the arm 5. A spiralspring is also secured to this lever 24 and to the extension 23, andwhen engaged by a portion of the ring, pouch, and sta A, enteringbetween the end 22 and extension 23, the angled lever is turned by it asthe train passes the staff-crane which held the ring, pouch, and statt.A spring-pressed detent or latch 27, secured to the extension 23, isplaced in such a position that it will engage one arm of the angledlever 24 when turned on its pivot through about ninety degrees. The arms5 and 6 are preferably made telescopic, so as to provide for thenecessary adjustments to bring the arms into proper position withrespect to the statt-cranes or other devices with which they coact incarrying out the system.

The delivery-arm 6, which I have shown as the lower one, is providedwith a ring, pouch, and sta-holding plate 2S, to which are securedspring-clips 29, arranged to receive and retain the ring, pouch, andstaff and hold it in the proper position for delivery. This position ismaintained by a finger 30, which engages a portion ofthe ring. Thespring-holders 29 and iinger 30 offer practically no resistance to itsrelease from the holding-arm 6. A ring 3l or other device engages thehand-lever 18 when it is thrown; up and holds the arms 5 and 6 in aninoperative position.

The operation of my device from the foregoing description will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art. The parts being placedin the positions shown in the drawings, the catching and delivering arms5 and 6 are ready to receive a ring, pouch, and staff or to deliver itto other apparatus situated beside the track. The catchingarm picks upthe ring, pouch, and stal as the train passes the device which holds it,the arm 22 passes through the ring, and the angled lever 24automatically holds the ring on the catching-arm 6 and prevents itsrebound. The delivery-arm of the apparatus yieldingly holds the ring,pouch, and staff, so that as the train passes a staff-crane station itis caught by the crane, the catching and delivering arms of the deviceacting without injury to the parts of the ring, pouch, and stattemployed. These advantages arise from the simplicity and certainty ofaction and the fact that it offers no obstruction when not in use.

Many changes may be made by the skilled mechanic without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention, since I claiml. In ahigh-speed-train staff system for railways, the combination of a ringadapted to carry a staff, of a catching and delivering device mounted onthe train, consisting of arms located in different planes adapted toreceive and deliver said ring to devices placed at the side of the trackin the path of said arms; substantially as described.

2. In ahigh-speed-train staff system for railways, the combination of aring adapted to carry a staff, of a catching and delivering devicemounted on the train, consisting of a support, arms located in differentplanes pivotally mounted on said support, and means for placing saidarms in position to receive and deliver said ring to devices placed atthe side of the track in the path of said arms; substantially asdescribed.

3. In a high-speed-train staff system for railways, the combination of asupport or holder, of a ring adapted to carry a pouch and staff heldthereby, of a catching device mounted on the train, consisting of asupport, an arm mounted on said support, said arm being provided withdevices which engage and receive said ring from said holder, andautomatic locking mechanism on said arms whereby the ring, pouch andstai-f are held against rebound; substantially as described.

4. In a high-speed-train statfsystem for railways, the combination of aring adapted to carry a pouch and staff, of a catching and deliveringdevice mounted on the train, consisting ot' vertically-movable catchingand delivering arms, mechanism comprising levers and link connectionswhereby they are brought into operative or inoperative positions, saidcatching-arm having its end portion formed to engage a ring held in itspath when in operative position, and devices mounted on said arm forautomatically locking the ring upon said arm to prevent rebound, andsaid delivering-arm being provided with holders, which permit the easyremoval of the ring held thereby, when engaged by the catching device inthe path of the delivering-arm; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS H. PATENALL.

Witnesses:

W. L. MCDANIEL, JNO. M. LINDSAY.

IOO

